A Bermudian businessman has teamed up with a US consultant to develop a key South Shore property.

Ramadhin Smith and David Johanson have applied to the Ministry of Tourism for permission to build a new 76-room hotel and 38 residential units on the site which had formerly been allocated for a Ritz Carlton hotel.

The Ritz Carlton project fell through some years ago and the site has been on the market for over five years, but local owners - Bermuda Tel Limited - have now entered into a contract with Smith and Johanson.

The proposed new project, to be called "The Cliffs" will incorporate both residential units and a five-star hotel.

According to Smith and Johanson, the hotel will be the cornerstone of the project.

"The reason why I'm so passionate about this is because I want to see a new hotel built in Bermuda." says Mr. Smith, whose other business interests on the Island include an industrial coatings specialist and a recruitment firm.

Mr. Johanson admits that there will be hurdles and that airfares to Bermuda remain a problem, but for type of client that The Cliffs would seek to attract, the most important thing is to offer a world-class experience.

Mr. Johanson has 20 years experience in hotel development, including two successful projects for the Four Seasons group. He was also involved in Bermuda's WaterFront Development. In his opinion, Bermuda's product has fallen behind other world class resorts. The focus should be on high-end hotel resorts and attracting more Bermudians back to work in tourism.

"We want to bring in Bermudians," he says, dismissing the suggestion that young Bermudians have shown neither enthusiasm nor aptitude for working in hotels.

"It's going to be a five-star hotel and it's going to be run like a business." adds Mr. Smith, explaining that they will employ a top hotel management company such as Meridien, W Hotels or Hyatt to run the resort with the long term aim of promoting Bermudians to management.

He says that several resorts on the Island, such as the Elbow Beach, the Fairmont group and the Reefs have already raised the bar.

Working with local architect, David Yuhasz of SHY Architecture, the pair have put together a plan for The Cliffs which is much less built-up than the 300-room Ritz Carlton project which received planning permission several years ago.

If tourism and planning departments grant permission, construction could start this autumn. The residential units would be the first phase, but it would be a condition of their occupancy permits that construction of the hotel is underway.